Wishing Upon A Shooting Star
by Vaiin1997
Summary: Boruto was upset when his father broke another promise. He made a wish and that wish had turned Naruto into an infant, physically and mentally. He had to take care of baby Naruto, much to his delight. Note: the setting took place two months after Naruto's Hokage inauguration.
1. Chapter 01: Please Grant My Wish

**Chapter 01: Please Grant My Wish**

 **Summary:** Another broken promise.

"Busy, busy– _busy!_ That's all I've heard from the past two months – _two months 'ttebasa!_ " Boruto grumbled; face red, short legs marching faster and away from the Hokage's Office before kicking at some random pebbles out of frustration.

As a few ticks went by, the whispered blond slowed down his pace with his fists and teeth clenched to hold back the tears and shield his pain, the loneliness, from leaking out.

It was an appropriate assumption to note that Boruto, much to his obvious annoyance, was pretty much disappointed at his father's inability to provide the correct arrangement to spend some quality family time together instead of sitting his ass down in the office and burying his face in a long-ass boring day filled with paperwork every single day.

His dad had broken off his promise. Again. Boruto frowned, feeling the hot liquid dripping down to his chin; he wiped it with his right sleeve. The fact that his father had duty to attend and responsibilities to maintain the city's peace and prosperity as the country's Hokage didn't cross his mind. He was just a bratty, attention-depraved six-year-old after all.

'Can't he take just a day off?' the child pondered, before shaking his head to dismiss the idea. 'Forget it. It's never going to happen.'

Boruto bolted back home, he was all set to find a readied comfort from his game console, or if his baby sister wanted to play with him, he would be gladly to be involved as a good big brother. But if his dad couldn't find the time to spend with him in the day, Boruto hoped to find his dad coming back home earlier just as he promised a while back after their argument.

~La La La~

In a quiet, oval-like office, Naruto read the contents of the documented paper he was holding, trying to sop in the words in concentration but he was inescapably distracted by the verbal disagreement he had with his son just a while ago. He sighed, placing the paper down before giving himself a chance to consult with the clock – 3 o'clock. He found himself staring at it, feeling the endless ticks of the clock seeping in and out of his ears numbingly as the thought of their argument began to play back in his mind.

 _SLAM._

 _"Tō-chan!"_

 _Oh no._

 _"Are you done yet?" his 6-year-old son demanded._

 _Dammit._

 _"U-uh... no? I've gotten a few more papers to finish... Wait, how did you get insid–"_

 _"No!? You always say that– you have promised me, Tō-chan! Now spend time with me 'ttebasa!"_

 _"Boruto..." the father began, but he couldn't face his son directly. Because if he did, he would have to confront the younger blond's teary face. It would ultimately tear down the orange-loving father's willpower and break his heart into bleeding pieces._

 _He steeled his mind. "After... I finish my work; I'll be able to play with you. But for now, give me some time to finish. I promise you–"_

 _"NO! I want it to happen now!"_

 _Naruto's head began to throb slightly painful, wishing this same kind of argument wouldn't repeat itself, wishing he could keep his promise and spend more time with his family like he could before, wishing things would turn back like how it was before._

 _Despite it, he tried his best to soothe Boruto. He turned to face his son's upset face and froze at the guilt-tripping sight. Naruto cursed inwardly._

 _He gulped. "I-I know, son. I promise you that I'll spend some time with you once I'm done 'ttebayo. I'm sor–"_

 _"No! If-if you're really sorry, you gotta play with me!" the younger blond's voice cracked, his little fingers curling tightly on his chest._

 _Naruto tried so hard to straighten out this argument. But his son wasn't making things easy. He stood up from his seat and crouched down on one knee to face Boruto at eye level._

 _"I will come back home early. I promise you on that, Boruto."_

 _Boruto's clear blue eyes glistened, his red face twisted in a way that a child would finally burst a waterfall._

 _Nononononono–_

 _"FINE!"_

 _Naruto's eyes widened in surprise at the given chance, despite the outburst from the latter he was relieved all the same. Hence, Boruto turned away from his dad and slammed the door louder than it should be._

At least it was somehow resolved, temporarily.

"Oi," Shikamaru called out, snapping Naruto out from his thought. "Stop daydreaming and start working, there are more where these troublesome come from." He dropped the huge stack of paperwork on the Hokage's work table.

Naruto stared blankly at the mountainous amount of work sitting in front of him. It was taller than his head. Screaming inwardly, he groaned exasperatedly, "Shika, help me finish with some of these crazy burdens."

The said person smirked lazily, "I've done my part, thus those burdens on your table are now yours to handle, Hokage-sama. Besides, I'm just an assistant to the Hokage."

Naruto added solemnly, "The most intelligent right-hand man there is in Konoha."

"You know that flattery isn't going to get you anywhere."

Naruto grimaced. Worth a shot. Thus, the promise he made to Boruto would ultimately take to a halt. The blond Hokage groaned, he had a feeling this would not go pretty...

~La La La~

Over an appropriate distance, Himawari was curled up into a tiny ball, her palms on her knees as her blue eyes was focusing on the screen of the television; the pink plush was set to sit beside her in a slouched manner. No one could snatch her attention away when her favourite show was aired as of now. Meanwhile, Boruto was sitting in both crossed arms and legs on the green sofa; his handheld game console was nowhere to be in sight.

Hinata, who was observing Boruto over her shoulder while vacuuming the floor, noticed the strange behaviour her son was displaying. He was unusually quiet and still for hours, doing nothing, but that grouchy-looking expression and the way his digit tapping repetitively on his arm surely make known of his agitation.

This heightened her sense of worry.

"Boruto, what... are you doing?" Hinata asked, already on the track to pry out some information from her son.

"Waiting for Tō-chan to come home, Kā-chan," was the blond's curt reply. "He's slow."

When Naruto was mentioned, the younger sibling turned to her big brother, astonishment and happiness was evident in her eyes and tone, "Papa's home soon, Boru Nī-chan?"

Boruto grinned at his sister, "Yep! That's right, Himawari!" He pointed his thumb on his puffed chest stocked up in pride. "Your big brother Boruto is going to wait for Tō-chan to come home!"

Hinata's slightly lavender eyes softened at the sight of her adorable children's interaction. Dismissing Boruto's previous behaviour as nothing to worry about, she went back to clean the kitchen floor with the vacuum cleaner and moved on to dutifully prep up dinner after she was done.

"Boruto, Himawari," she addressed to both children. "What do you two want for dinner?"

Himawari perked up but she then cutely tilted her head to a side, confused. She hummed.

Boruto looked up at his mom and replied, "Hamburger."

The younger Uzumaki waved her arms and exclaimed, "Hambagga!"

Hinata smiled softly, "Of course, let's go with hamburger." And other healthy side dishes as well.

~La La La~

Dinner was ensued without the father of two. It was late. Himawari was asleep. He was late. And he wasn't home yet. This clearly made little Boruto very upset of his father for breaking the promise he had promised to fulfil.

Aware of Boruto's distress, Hinata was about to reach her hand towards him; but the latter, oblivious of the other's approaching hand, responded one step quicker, causing his mother to withdraw.

"I'm going ahead to bed," he said tonelessly, without looking at his mom.

Hinata, glancing back at Boruto worryingly, could only watch her son's retreating back camouflaging further into the darkness. She hoped things would turn out better tomorrow.

~La La La~

Once Boruto closed the door behind him, his emotionless face turned red with tears as it kept rolling down, revealing mixed emotions of anger, sadness and disappointment.

He jumped toward the bed and flopped his face down onto the pillow he tightly fisted upon and screamed as loud as his throat allowed him to. Boruto's complaints of his dad being unfair, an utter idiot, a promise-breaker and a lot of things he said were being muffled into the cotton-filled pillow.

His lips trembled as he kept weeping, having no care if his pillow was completely soaked by the salty liquid secreted out from his eyes. Ever since his dad became the Seventh Hokage, he didn't have time to take a quick break, he was seldom home, he rarely played with him or Himawari. He wasn't even home for dinner and he promised!

Boruto hiccupped, his breathing irregular. He strongly wished his dad's Hokage work schedule would lessen and be there with him all the time or when he needed him to be. It was his only selfish wish – a wish to spend with the male parental figure.

"I wish... if it isn't too much to ask, I wish Tō-chan would spend a whole month with me," he mumbled to himself, heavy-lidded eyes shuttered in exhaustion from the intense emotion he discharged. With that simple wish Boruto uttered, he wept himself to sleep. But little did he know, outside of his window, a shooting star passed by the beautifully atmospheric night sky and granted the child's wish. Something surprising was going to happen the next cheerful day.

 _To be continued…_


	2. Chapter 02: Wish Granted

**Chapter 02: Wish Granted**

 **Summary:** Shikamaru found a baby in the Hokage's office.

The next day, as promised, would be as cheerful as the sun, and it certainly was! As the said sun was set, the breeze was immediately refreshing; Boruto woke up with his eyes puffed up looking like he hadn't slept for a whole week. In fact, the uncontrolled, yet suppressed crying was the main cause to muster this awakening effect on his face. He entirely blamed his dad for that.

He rubbed one of his closed eyes with the back of his palm, and yawned widely before smacking his lips together; feeling the thirst in the tongue and the rawness of his dry throat had begged him to drink something to soothe it.

He rose up from the bed, strolling ahead to the bathroom and shut the door behind him. Doing the morning routine of brushing the teeth, showering, drying the body and putting on clothes to psych his day, he walked down from the stairs and greeted his mom and Himawari as they greeted him back. It made him smile wider. But something was missing in the picture, someone, to be precise. His eyes narrowed _. Dad._

On good contrary, breakfast made by mom was calling to his stomach, putting his mind slightly at ease. Noticing this, his mom giggled when she heard the empty belly of her son growled in hunger. Embarrassed, Boruto quickly took a seat in front of cheerful Himawari and drank a glass of warm milk that was prepared for him.

"Kā-chan?"

"What is it, Boruto?"

"Have you seen Tō-chan?"

Hinata stopped. "Gomen, I haven't seen Naruto-kun since yesterday's morning." _Work probably rushes to a stack for Naruto-kun. He probably hasn't eaten anything too._ She noted mentally. _I should patch a bento for him._

Boruto nodded. That phrase riled lividity in him, anger toward dad. Not home now huh? But at some point, the thought made the six-year-old worried, uneasy feeling seizing his guts. What if something happened to Tō-chan? But that edginess was soon overlapped by anger once again, marring his face ugly. He would make his dad regret it.

"Are you okay, Nī-chan?"

Boruto flinched. He didn't realise he had openly revealed his emotion to a point where it was that obvious his sister noticed it at a glance. He gave her a strained laugh. "Ah-ha-ha, yeah, I'm great, Himawari – why shouldn't I be?"

"Well, you make funny faces," she pointed out. As a demonstration, she pulled a face to mimic her brother's previous expressions which made him chuckled at Himawari's failed attempt.

"What's so funny?"

"I'm not the one who makes funny faces, you are," Boruto smiled. "You're the one who's doing the funny faces, silly Himawari."

"Hmm?" Himawari, who didn't take offence of the implied insult, raised a brow at her brother to which Boruto glanced to the side to avoid further scrutiny from his sister's sharp observing eyes.

She laughed mirthfully; pulling another face out of curiosity which she acquired another chuckle from her brother. She liked it when her brother smiled.

Both children eagerly waited for their mother to sit and enacted breakfast together.

"Itadakimasu!" chorused the three members of the family.

Breakfast was an everyday delight. But it was generally – supposedly to be merrier if one member of the family wasn't absent. Suddenly, breakfast felt incomplete. This thought struck Boruto to scarf down his food, to forcefully make the queasiness disappear.

"Boruto, if you eat too fast, you'll upset your stomach. At least chew your food properly," his mother gently chastised the said person.

"Hai~" he replied and continued gorging on his meal with negligibly appropriate speed.

"Ne, Boruto, what are your plans for today?"

Boruto took a moment to think in the process of chewing his food and swallowed it. "I dunno, hanging around maybe," he answered boringly, before swooping in a large piece of meat in his mouth.

Hinata nodded.

What Boruto wanted to say exactly was to visit dad and play a massive prank on him after breakfast, as a petty retaliation for breaking promises. But his mother would scold him for being disrespectful. She was scary when she was angry, and he didn't like disappointing mom. Attitude like his, however, would bring trouble. And Boruto would try not to make it double since it would seem like he was begging for some long lectures from mom.

Not for long, Boruto's plate was emptied. Hinata asked if he wanted a second helping, but he shook his head and clapped his hands and announced, "Gochisosama!" He stood up, dragging the chair away behind him. "I'll be back in the afternoon!"

"Chottomatte, Boruto," Hinata called out.

"Nani, Kā-chan?"

"You've planned to visit Naruto-kun, haven't you?"

Boruto froze. How the heck did mom find out!? How!? Was his mom a mind-reader?

"My, as expect," his mom said in a pleasing tone, palms pressing together. "Wait a moment. I've something for you to do."

 _Huh?_ Boruto blinked, watching his mother headed to the kitchen. She seemed to be packing something and came back with a square-shaped box wrapped in white cloth which was decorated with orange spiral. "Since you're planning to go see Naruto-kun, please deliver this to him, Boruto," Hinata said, handing the filled lunch box to Boruto's hesitant palms. "I'm counting on you."

"H-hai, I will!" Boruto, in slight relief, sighed mentally but wasn't completely relaxed yet. T- _that was close_. "Ittekimasu!"

"Itterasshai, Boruto."

"Itterasshai, Ni-chan!"

A click was heard from the front door which implied it being closed shut. Boruto slid his back on the door as if falling, fingers clutching the white garment where his heart at before letting out an exhale heavy enough as if a single whip of breath in front of his mom would cause the end of his life.

"E-even without activating the Byakugan, Kā-chan is, without a doubt, scary..." Boruto, through his stuttering, gulped; trying to control the heavy thumping of his heart.

On the other hand, Boruto was given a task by his mother – over such an important task which he would heartily execute along with a supplement of brilliant plan he had subjected as a prank. No, he wouldn't throw the homemade food his mom made into his dad's face. That would show complete disrespect of the cooked meal that gave him nutrients and energy for the past six years and as of now. He brought the bento to his eye-level and grinned mischievously, mind strategised on formulating his ingenious plan into action. Or maybe... _or maybe I can convince him to spend a day with me?_

Boruto decided the latter was a better option. He would head over the intended destination to complete this mini task, deliver the food safely to his dad and convince him to cut his working time for a day – much more brilliant idea than the initial one.

"Oi, Boruto!"

Upon somebody calling his name over a distance, he spun around to spot Shikadai and greeted him back.

"Yo!"

Boruto took note that Shikadai wasn't coming alone; behind him were Sarada and Inojin. Odd. He didn't usually see Shikadai mingling with those two ever, or the other way around. Sarada was commonly seen with Chōchō and other girls in a group while Inojin... was seen less communicative around others. But not his problem so he didn't bother to ask.

"What are you doing?" Shikadai asked, curious.

"Nothing exciting that's for sure, I'm running an errand for Kā-chan," he replied dismissively, as if unimportant.

Shikadai hummed.

"So that…" Sarada trailed, pointed at the item Boruto was holding. "…is your errand?"

"Yeah, I'm delivering breakfast for Tō-chan."

Sarada's ebony eyes sparkled. "Can we tag along!?" she asked, pushing up her eyeglasses.

"Hmm, it could be fun. Can we, Boruto?" Inojin added smilingly.

Boruto mentally scowled. _What?_ The word 'no' nearly passed from his lips, he wanted to deny their requests because this trip was going to be one of the rare times he could see his dad. But denying would show weakness, so he had to suck it up.

"Sure, why not?" he mumbled grumpily.

Sarada mentally pumping her fist in the air and cheered. She got the chance to see Lord Hokage face-to-face!

"Then let's go!"

Boruto arched a brow at Sarada's strange behaviour but let it go without question.

~La LaLa~

In the Hokage tower's hallway, Shikamaru walked with brisk speed; he was heading toward the Hokage's office. The head of the Nara Clan had fallen asleep on duty which was irresponsible of him. But never mind that, just an hour ago, the four Kages had replied their agreement to assemble their presences in the Five Kage Summit which the Seventh Hokage invited them for serious conference – which in turn, his job as an advisor was to report this message to the Hokage.

For that matter, he had via phone call Uzumaki residence a minute ago only to be answered by a worried Hinata who told him that Naruto hadn't come home yet. Therefore, he came into a logical conclusion that if Naruto was not home yet, he was still inside his office – that idiot probably worked himself too hard.

He knocked the door and greeted himself inside, "Hokage-sama!" But the said person wasn't there. Shikamaru was caught off guard that his deduction wasn't as accurate as he had thought. Confused and a wee frustrated, he scratched the back of his head and sighed. "Man, what a drag. Where could he have gone to?"

Shikamaru reached in his pants pocket for his phone and dialled the Seventh Hokage's number while he waited for the other to pick up. However, somewhere around the room, his ears detected some noise like buzzes. Depending on his hearing to track the source of the buzzing, it was getting distinctly louder with each step he took. Shikamaru stopped. He concluded that it was located under the Hokage's table.

"Really? Not only his person is not here, he left his cellphone behind as well? Great," Shikamaru complained, pulling out the wheeled chair underneath the table.

"Heh–?" He blinked a few times, rubbing his closed eyes with his thumb and forefinger in between. "Is the light playing tricks on me? No way in hell, right?" He opened his eyes once again and witnessed one of the most unbelievable sights the advisor couldn't believe was happening during this kind of time.

A drooling, blond baby with three pairs of lines on both cheeks were sleeping innocently. He was covered on what it seemed like the orange sweatshirt the Seventh Hokage was wearing routinely, only it was too large for the infant. Shikamaru wanted to faint, so to say.

Shikamaru straightened up, mind whirling to fathom why this infant Naruto look-alike was here of all places. Or plausibly, this was Naruto himself – only in a much vulnerably smaller state. How did something like this happen overnight? What was the cause for this phenomenon to happen?

His sharp eyes meticulously scanned the whole room for anything suspicious. Everything was in place, though disarray with official paperwork and scrolls scattered nearby the table, but there was no sign of infiltration. A rat among the rank...? It was a possibility but let's not jump into conclusions yet. Or maybe the Hokage was attacked when he was at an exhausted condition. Granted, anyone capable of transformation technique could alter into someone who the Hokage trusted, took full advantage of the situation and assaulted him.

Not to mention that Naruto was a Kage level shinobi, as weary as he was, attacking him would create destruction inside of the building, thus noises – an unavoidable fact that no one could miss, unless, of course, they were deaf. But if, assumingly, this baby was Naruto, he couldn't exactly determine whether he was attacked or not, due to his enhanced self-healing. But the fact that he was still here, unharmed, but completely regressed or... that was if the enemy wanted them to believe that this was Naruto – running a blood-test would clear the cloud.

So, if this infant was Naruto, the most logical reasoning was that he could be attacked through ingestion, injection or by a jutsu. If that was the case, then he better sought Sakura for her medical expertise and gathered scientist-nins to find a cure for this... small problem. But one thing was for certain, no normal infant had whisker markings on their face.

"Honestly, this is quite troublesome…"

"What's so troublesome, Shikamaru Oji-san?" A familiar voice gave the said person a jolt bad enough that he nearly dropped his phone.

Shikamaru spun his back, spotting Boruto along with his son, the young Uchiha and the young Yamanaka popping up one by one into the background. He scratched the side of his head. What a drag. He didn't ask for this unforeseeable confrontation.

"Haven't you learnt how to knock the door first before barging in here?"

"It's already open before we even get here in the first place, so what's your point?" Boruto stated cheekily which drew out exasperated sighs from both Nara.

"Told you," Shikadai whispered to the blond which the latter ignored the remark.

"Anyways, where is Tō-chan? Kā-chan asked me to deliver his vitamins for him." Boruto looked around. "Have you seen him?"

Shikamaru stiffened, his eyes closed momentarily. What should he say in this kind of troublesome situation?

"Uh, your dad–"

– _is here, right beside me. Oh, you can't see him? Come closer. But before you do, I have come out with twenty-five lies but I'm trying to find a justifiable one so that you kids wouldn't give me extra trouble. But since it doesn't matter, the Hokage's in a compromised situation. In other words, he's a defenceless, adorable infant. We don't even know if this baby is your dad yet until his blood has been tested. But if he's the indeed the real deal Uzumaki Naruto, then we've to find something to regrow him back to his original state. But don't worry, you needn't know about all of these because it's too troublesome for me to, you know –_ was what he was about to say, but he was too lazy to narrate vocally. "... He's not here if you're looking for him," he finished in contrast to what he had thought with a strained smile, averting his dark eyes to where the baby was currently at.

Boruto sighed, irritated. It was a waste coming here for nothing. "I'll just go put it on his table then."

"Unnecessary," the Hokage's right-hand man supplied quickly, "I mean I'll get it for you."

"No need to trouble yourself, Oji-san. I have legs and we'll be out of your sight after I place the bento on his table," he laughed, walking two steps ahead.

"Boruto, don't step any closer. That includes each one of you."

Boruto stopped, looking at him strange.

"But why not?" Sarada spoke up, lips pressed. "We're not doing any harm, do we?"

"Just because…" he said, unconsciously doing another evasive glance to the same direction.

"That's a very _lazy_ reason. I'm sure you can do better than that, Nara-san," Inojin criticised, his provoking smile reminded Shikamaru of both Ino and Sai in-between. It was slightly infuriating. He was their biological offspring, no doubt about it.

"You're acting kinda shady, dad. Your eyes kept shifting down. I saw you," Shikadai noted critically with green eyes narrowed in a dubious manner; his arms crossed. "I believe you're hiding something down there."

As soon as he asserted this, the curiosity in Boruto and the rest of the gang grew.

Shikamaru admitted, as much as troublesome this was going to be, his son was too smart for his own good. God, why should all the Nara kids inherit their dad's intelligence? His eyes glanced downward sideways one more time, watching the blond infant moving around his closed mouth as if he was chewing something, still silently sleeping.

He looked back at the six-year-olds who all shared nothing but agog looks. "Fine, but please keep this to yourselves. Understand?"

He received nods.

"Good. Come closer and do be quiet, we don't want to wake him up," Shikamaru advised, his voice softer.

"Him?" Boruto whispered. _Who is 'him'?_

The older Nara's warning was slightly confusing but despite it, the kids gave hisses of compliant yeses.

Soft footsteps approaching the Hokage's table as Shikamaru stepped back to give them space. They circled around the chair, eyes sparkled with inquisitiveness.

"That's a baby," Inojin stated, awed.

"He's so cute!" Sarada squealed, squeezing in closer to get a better survey at the sleeping babe. "Hm?" She tilted her glasses. "Come to think of it, he looks like Hokage-sama, only mini."

"Three whiskers..." Shikadai muttered. "Aren't those Lord Hokage's trademark?"

Boruto had realised this from the start before Sarada or Shikadai even began with the obvious. But he was too bewildered to say anything at that moment. He turned to the adult and spoke, "This isn't some crazy prank you're pulling right, Shikamaru Oji-san?"

Shikamaru gave him a look of disbelief and shook his head at the accusation. "No way in my life, kid. My wife and _your_ mom will kill me for pulling that act, besides I've got more important duties to attend to. But as my son and young Sarada has stated, with the best guess in mind, this babe might be Hokage-sama but we have to conduct extra measure to determine whether he's really your dad."

Boruto chewed his lips, observing the baby's plump feature. Suddenly finding the idea to touch the baby's smooth cheeks irresistible, he gently poked the baby's chubby cheek with a finger. His wide eyes sparkled in fascination. Oh, it literally bounced back just like the peach-flavoured mochi he ate a few days ago!

The baby, who was evoked by the sudden contact, slowly fluttered his eyelashes open. Everyone held their breath.

Blue.

The prominent shades of blue mirrored Naruto's. Boruto gasped; his hand to his chest. He felt something squeezed his heart. From the moment those blue eyes locked into his, the connection between him and the baby was instant. He knew this baby was really his dad!

The baby plump, yet fragile hands waggled for something to hold onto. Boruto complied at the indication and offered his finger for him. He slightly jumped at the contact, feeling those tiny fingers held around against his. It was warm. The sentiment unconsciously made Boruto's mask slipped a little. A fond smile lifted on his lips when tiny giggles happily gurgled out from the blond infant's throat.

Boruto was so focused on the smaller blond that he didn't even realise his playmates were watching the heartwarming interaction between him and the possibly-the-Hokage baby. If Boruto knew they were watching the whole time, he would be very embarrassed for revealing his soft side publicly. Knowing how he would react, they kept silence amongst themselves and took delight of the scene playing in front of them.

"Oji-san," Boruto started suddenly, his serious tone matched his expression. "There's no way this baby isn't Tō-chan, his feature is exactly a copy of Tō-chan dattebasa!"

"Kid, there are a lot of possibilities that this may or may not be your dad. He could possibly be in the kidnappers' hands as we speak," Shikamaru assumed. Oops.

Shikadai's eye twitched at his dad's wrong choice of words.

"No, _not_ possible!" Boruto argued; his loud denial startled the baby into wailing loudly. As if normal, he automatically brought the distressed baby into his arms gently, carrying him like how he used to carry Himawari when she was a baby, patting his back and hushing words of sweetness and comfort into the baby's ears until he was soothed enough.

"Just look at him," he said, after calming down the baby, in a softer tone. "If he's kidnapped like Oji-san has said, then his clothes, pants and shoes wouldn't even be here. But everything is here, nothing is missing. What's going on really?"

Boruto's argument made sense. The kidnappers wouldn't go as far as to strip the Hokage if they wanted to make this whole kidnapping a successful venture. Shikamaru sighed for the many times. "To be honest, I'm in the same position as you are, kid. I found him like that in that form this morning as you can see. Right now, the wisest choice is to send some ANBU to scout both outside and inside of the perimeters for any strange activities around Konoha and bring the baby to the lab."

" _What for?_ " Boruto demanded, feeling distrustful, he cautiously stepped three feet away from the considered threat with his regressed dad held protectively on his arms, like a parent to his child, except the other way around.

Shikamaru would find this incredibly amusing if his work wasn't stacking up into a shitload of it. "Chillax kid, we have to run a blood-test to see if he's the genuine Hokage."

Boruto's shoulders was relaxed, his face confident. "In that case, you don't have to worry about that one. This is Tō-chan 'ttebasa," he asserted stubbornly.

"Don't be stubborn, Boruto," Shikadai told him off lightly which the latter shot him a petulant glare.

Shikamaru agreed wholeheartedly to that statement. "We still need to do the test to see what solution was mixed in his blood system. If it's neither from injection nor consumption, we can assume he's under the influence of an unknown jutsu, we can only hope its effect isn't permanent."

Boruto huffed. "Fine, if Tō-chan's coming with you, I'm coming too."

Shikamaru paused. "I wouldn't have it another way, kid. Since you got him handled so easily, why don't you take care of him until he's back to his original size?"

"I could!?" exclaimed Boruto, his eyes shone bright as if this moment was what he had been waiting for. Was this for real? Had he just gotten his wish granted?

"Sure, as long as you keep a close eye on him."

"Leave it to me dattebasa!"

 _To be continued…_


	3. Chapter 03: Snaps of the Reversible Past

**Chapter 03: Snaps of the Reversible Past**

 **Summary:** A cure for Naruto's regression is one step ahead. Hinata loved cameras as much as Boruto did.

Uzumaki Naruto, the Seventh Hokage and a father of two was regressed into a five-month-old baby. This was an undeniable fact. As the blood test conducted on Naruto, the result from his DNA had solidly proven that he was the child of Uzumaki Kushina and Namikaze Minato.

"What's the verdict?"

Sakura hummed, closing her eyes to ponder. "Naruto's body and mentality are of a five-month-old infant. There's no strange solution compounded in his blood and we can be fairly assured that there was no jutsu used on him either. Strangely, his regression doesn't affect the jinchūriki seal," she coughed. "Here's the final evaluation on this matter: Naruto is in a perfect condition." _Even more so since the Hokage's inauguration_ , she added to herself.

Everyone who held their breath sighed in relief, but it was short-lived.

"However…" she uttered strongly, her voice stressed in a warning tone. This situated them to tense once again as the air began to thicken in dread.

"However…?"

The prolonged interval of the next sentence was ominous.

The moment the pink-haired kunoichi laid her sight on Naruto, her serious eyes lost its intensity in a flash, her frown coiled into a goofy smile. "I didn't know Naruto being a baby is just too precious!" she squealed adoringly, tapping her finger lightly on the small Hokage's nose which prompted him to sneeze cutely.

Everybody was incredibly stupefied at the sudden loss of the situation's seriousness that they were temporarily speechless to voice out their reactions, but the tension amongst all those present inside the laboratory was gladly released.

"Isn't that right!?" Sarada bubbled in agreement of her mom's perception despite the previous nerve-wracking tension.

 _'She sure was quick to adapt,'_ Inojin observed, face apathetic.

' _Women,'_ Shikamaru thought in relieved exasperation as Shikadai had similar notion in mind: ' _Girls._ '

"You're mean, Sakura Oba-san! You made us worry for nothing!" Boruto exploded indignantly, his face turned red in vexation.

"Sorry, sorry, I was a tiny bit distracted," said the kūnoichi with her eyes shut lightly, palms pressing together in an apology gesture. Then, calmly, she imparted, "But on some serious note, we have to find someone outside of Konoha who has knowledge on this particular field or I'm afraid Naruto will restart his life all over again as a five-month-old."

...

...

...

That stoned everyone on spot, viably earned each person's astonished silence. Why didn't she say so right in the beginning? Oh right, she was _too_ preoccupied by Naruto's newfound cuteness.

 _Mama_ , thought Sarada, staring at her mom blankly to point out her speechlessness.

'Ara? _I feel like I have said something wrong,_ ' Sakura thought heedlessly even though she was conscious of the gloomy, despondent vibes clouding over everyone's head. Then, she realised why. ' _Ah, I see. My bad_.'

Shikamaru's brows knitted together; stroking the nape of his neck to soothe his agitation. His head throbbed; slightly stressed from overthinking the upcoming, new conflict that was ranged from bad to worst situation ever. They couldn't possibly put the entire responsibility on an infant's shoulders to govern Konoha, despite being officially positioned as a Hokage two months ago. In any cases, it would put both Konoha and the Hokage under the mercy of potential dangers.

"Are you... suggesting his infant form is irreversible?" he inquired, not liking where this was heading.

"It's highly feasible due to the unknown nature of what or who has altered Naruto's age. Therefore, whatever or whoever responsible for this circumstance doesn't apply the use of jutsu, needles or pills. There is no historical retrospect of similar case like this either. To put it simply, we are completely clueless for now," Sakura concluded, her expression similar to Shikamaru's distressed one.

"I see," Shikamaru acknowledged with a thoughtful nod. "Do you think it's possible that others might catch the same condition as Naruto?"

Recalling what the medical-nin had stored in mind, she addressed to the subject, "Given from the result of Naruto's blood test, what he gets cannot influence others from getting it – which makes our possible enemy evidently elusive."

"Toward this point, we can assume they're targeting the Hokage at worst," Shikamaru said slowly, contemplating at the probability. _Maybe the security's been lax,_ he thought.

At that being said, Boruto's imagination began to run as wild as a hyperactive child being playfully creative and inventive in its own ways. His head bowed to mask the emotions flashing through his sky-blue eyes. Underneath them, his breathing was slightly irregular, shallow, as his protective hold on the baby somewhat tightened, a subconscious gesture of self-assurance to cast away fear; the fear of his dad being injured, being robbed away from him – the fear of everything misfortune that would befall upon his dad's safety and well-being. Sure, he was the Hokage, strongest shinobi in Konoha, but right now at his current stage, he was so soft and small that he could fit into Boruto's arms, with so many vulnerable points that the chances of his regressed dad getting harmed were high. And he was also Boruto's dad and any child in the right mind would want their parents to be safe.

 _But what if, what if–_ His six-year-old mind was the personification of a poisonous waterfall as of now, dismal enough that it led Boruto to circuitously wander its line of thinking in murk; feeding his brain with ideas of the worst possibilities that could possibly occur to his biological father. The boy gritted his teeth with a frown unsuitable for someone of his age.

Naruto, despite at this age, was able to sense the negativity projected from his temporary guardian. Looking up curiously, he dangled his chubby, small arms upward until they aimlessly landed on the other's cheeks.

"Aa?"

Boruto's eyes shot up in surprise when he felt something small and warm pushed up against his cheeks and kneading them in a circular motion. He glanced down at his occupied arms. Was his dad trying to comfort him...? Earnestly grateful, the selfless action made him smile tenderly, his posture relaxed as both his mind and emotion gradually subdued in placidity.

After he regained complete composure, he pulled back his attention toward the on-going discussion, minutes passed and his mind wondered elsewhere.

 _I'm bored._

He spared a quick glance at his dad and a thought hit his head.

 _Right, a baby needs their vitamins and toys, clothes too,_ Boruto thought, seemingly familiar with what necessity an infant should require. His mind travelled back to where he had duties to care for a younger Himawari. Where he was needed the most by her at that time; feeding her milk, changing her diapers, draining himself by playing with her until her energy was spent and protecting her from all threats. Despite the exhaustion, the basic knowledge he earned from experiences didn't disappoint him.

 _But_ _Kā-chan doesn't know about Tō-chan's condition. I should go tell her about this. I wonder what reaction she would make._

With a curt bow, Boruto excused himself, "I'm going to take my leave now." But the two adults were too absorbed in their conversation that their ears blocked out what Boruto had uttered. "Are you three coming or what?"

"Yeah," Shikadai drawled. "Finally, I can't believe you just ask."

"Oh, shut up. You, Inojin?"

"Count me in. My ears bleed from listening to adults talking about this boring stuff all day."

"How about you, Sarada?"

"Maybe next time," Sarada said. "As much as I would like to be involved, solely because of Hokage-sama that is, I'm accompanying mom. Who knows what I'll learn from _this_ _boring stuff_."

"Suit yourself." With that being said, Boruto happily left the building along with a joyful baby in his arms and the other two behind him.

"– can't believe this is actually happening. Nevertheless, I have to trust you on this one, Sakura. Do you know someone of such?" Shikamaru inquired with a tint of desperation in his tone.

Sakura nodded. "In a way, they were mentioned by a drunken Tsunade-sama once. We can locate them but the journey is going to be arduous without someone who possesses vast geographical knowledge."

"Not to worry, we've got capable ninjas at our disposal."

"I know that." Sakura smiled before frowning at the reminder of other problem that concerned exclusively to leaders and their advisors. "What about the conference of the Five Kages? Now that everything has come down to this, we need an acting Hokage to represent Naruto, don't we?"

"Yeah, I've got it all covered," Shikamaru replied confidently. "Kakashi-san will fill in that role once again as Naruto's substitution for that meeting and the rest of the Hokage works until Naruto's back to normal."

"Kakashi-sensei? Yes, that makes sense but he better not be late." Painfully aware of her former teacher's bad habit of being tardy too often and producing lines of cliché quotes to back up his excuse, most commonly: "Sorry I was late, got lost in the path of life", Sakura's face darkened, bumping her fist into her palm as if she was ready to punch something hard. "He better not be," she repeated firmly.

Shikamaru sweat-dropped and said, "Late or not, Naruto's absence is going to be bombarded with questions either way."

"True," Sakura admitted reluctantly. She looked around and blinked, noting the room rather spacious unlike previously, she started, "Where–?"

"They left. Boruto told you, but both of you were preoccupied with your discussion," Sarada briefly answered Sakura's unfinished question.

"They left with Naruto?" Sakura asked; apprehension smothered her cat-like feature.

"Yeah, mom," Sarada replied, eyeing her in confusion to why she looked panicky.

"That–"

"– is fine. I told Boruto to take good care of Naruto," Shikamaru cut her off, reassuring her.

"But if he's exposed outside with that vulnerable form–"

"Sakura," he said in finality. "I've dispatched an ANBU to watch over them 24/7, anyhow Naruto is much safer if he stays at his residence."

The pink-haired doctor inclined curtly, trusting the advisor's words.

"Now, do you know the location of the witch doctors?"

~La La La~

"Ne, Boruto," Shikadai began.

"Nani?"

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing," Boruto replied nonchalantly, his narrowed eyes glancing furtively on every side in search for potential threats, stealthily observing the hoi-polloi conducting their daily activities behind walls per walls; his position crouching on a knee with the orange jacket bundled around the baby safely in his arms.

"What you're doing is nothing, you say?"

"Yeah," Boruto said with a nod, still observing his surroundings in careful scrutiny. He added with a hiss, "Hush, Shikadai. You're blowing our cover."

Shikadai snorted. "You mean _your cover_."

"Whatever. We're almost home."

"Watching you doing this is tiring," he commented.

"Then follow my footsteps."

"That's even more tiring."

"You're not even doing anything, you lazy bum."

" _I am –_ watching you and your ridiculous antics."

"Well, what do you know?" Shikadai discerned the blond's snide tone in his speech and he sure wouldn't like it even for a bit. " _Watching_ is equivalent to doing _nothing_."

The six-year-old Nara's eyebrow twitched. "You're impossible."

"Impossible to defeat? I know."

Shikadai groaned while Inojin smiled, verily amused with the whole situation.

~La La La~

The echoing tick of the clock had proven how provocatively silent the room was, confining the sole source of the sharp, endless sound inside. Eyes closed, Hinata was seated on the sofa where it was usually her husband's spot when he was reading the newspaper or scrolls every morning like a well-memorised ritual. Subconsciously, her slender fingers brushed over her chin in unmoving contemplation. She opened her eyes as she rose up to her feet, briskly marching ahead to the house's doorway before stopping dead in her tracks nearly halfway to the exit, seemingly indecisive of her impetuous action which she had put considerable amount of thinking into it. She shook her head, walking back toward the sofa and sat back down with a tired sigh as if restarting this all over from the beginning.

"Mama, you keep doing that. Why's that?" Himawari asked. "Is something wrong?"

Hinata regarded her beloved daughter with a reassuring smile, although faint. "Don't worry, Himawari. Mama is just worried for your papa."

"What's wrong with papa? Is he okay?" Himawari's expression turned from curiosity to worry.

"I'm not entirely sure," Hinata answered honestly. She would lie to Himawari to retain the uneasy feeling from being contagious if she wasn't so worried sick for her husband. In a way, the worries made her candour with her feelings, yet indecisive with choices. "Shikamaru-kun mentioned your dad wasn't in his office so I'm worried if something has happened to him. This explains why... I'm quite agitated to your dad's well-being, sweetheart."

Himawari stared at her mother to process this bit of information in her head before her face hardened in understanding. She inched toward Hinata with a wide grin and confidently declared, "It's going to be alright, mama! Papa's strong, very strong, so nothing bad is going to happen to him! You told me so, right?"

Surprise fleeted across Hinata's gentle feature, before her lips curled up softly. In the end, any remaining of her perturbation consoled through her daughter's words of strength. _Children grow up so fast._

"Certainly," she beamed in sentimental agreement, tousling her head gently in affection but not enough excitement to ruffle up the neatly brushed hair. Standing up from her seated position, she asked Himawari if she wanted to accompany and help her with groceries, which the youngest Uzumaki willingly agreed to offer her mother her help, much to Hinata's added happiness.

"Have you gotten the list with you?" Hinata asked, purse on her left hand.

"Yeah," Himawari chirped as she raised the grocery list carded between her thumb and finger.

"Ready?"

"Yeah!"

Just as they were about to leave the house, Hinata could have sworn she heard footsteps approaching the outdoor.

 _Is that Naruto-kun?_ Hinata thought expectantly, hand twisting the doorknob in anticipation.

"Ah."

Outside of the doorway, Boruto's hand was a few inches away from the opposite of the door handle, with Shikadai and Inojin at each of his sides, each appearing to be honestly surprised.

 _It isn't Naruto-kun..._

Hinata was slightly disappointed but the curiosity smashed the former reaction to why Boruto was home rather early, in contrast of his announcement this morning.

"Kā-chan?"

Hinata broke out from her thought. "Okaeri, Boruto-kun."

"Okaeri, Nī-chan!"

"Tadaima, Kā-chan, Himawari."

"Good morning, Uzumaki-san," Inojin and Shikadai greeted her, bowing respectfully, which she returned back the favour. "Good morning to the both of you."

"Kā-chan, I gotta tell you something important."

"What is it?" Hinata tilted her head.

"Tō-chan is…"

"Naruto-kun?" She took a glance at what Boruto was holding _. That is Naruto-kun's jacket and that's the bento I told Boruto to deliver it to him._ Apprehension seized both her heart and guts. " _Has something happened to your father, Boruto?_ " she demanded, the agitation in her tone was obvious.

"Well yeah… he, he's…" Boruto hesitated. He was fine before. Why did he find it so hard to tell his mom? _Come on, spit it out, don't make Kā-chan even more worried as she is already,_ he told himself, shuffling his arms awkwardly and then inspiring oxygen into his lungs to prepare the words out from his mouth.

"Tō-chan has turned into a baby!" revealed Boruto, his eyes shut.

Hinata blinked. "Come again?"

"Tō-chan has turned into a baby," he repeated, his voice clear with calmness.

She blinked once again, her lips parted as if trying to voice something out but nothing came in mind. In all honesty, she was currently harbouring an internal conflict on how to deliver proper respond to Boruto's _unique_ declaration.

Next to Hinata, her daughter approached her brother with curious steps. She stopped by his side. Her heels lifted from the ground, tilting her head upward for a better view. Boruto was reminded of their stature differences and helped her by bending his legs down a little.

Himawari's eyes slowly brightened. "Wah! It's true! Papa has become so small, even smaller than me," she commented, looking at what seemed to be fully occupied in Boruto's arms in glee.

"Ah, he's waking up. Mama, take a look at this smaller version of papa," Himawari encouraged her mom, unable to tear away her eyes from her shrunken-into-a-baby dad.

Hinata was pretty much lost for words that she let her body move of its own accord, though hesitation implied in her movement. The snow-eyed mother slowly peered down at her son's arms. As if time stopped by itself, the moment she landed her eyes on a very familiar-looking infant, she felt an arrow struck down her heart in a blink of an eye.

 _Oh my, a b-baby Naruto-kun!_ She enveloped her mouth with her palms to veil her surprised gasp. On the other side note, she had garnered series of pictorial collections of her husband when he was between the ages of ten to seventeen, and owned more than a handful of photos when he turned adult. But she had never seen Naruto-kun as an infant. _Not ever._ Her hands twitched. _I have to have it_.

"Hold on!"

"Kā-chan?"

"Don't move."

Boruto listened.

With a speed that would bring the Fourth Hokage's name to shame, Hinata came back with not only one but two devices ready in her hands, shooting pictures and video recording of her top interest at the same time.

Boruto and his friends sweat-dropped at the action displayed by the Byakugan holder. In time where technology revolution was introduced in Konoha, receiving her first rectangular-shaped mobile device in purple and a camcorder as a second gift from her father, she had successfully developed her habit of capturing pictures into a full-time obsession; recording every familial moment that mostly revolved around her husband and children, much to her great delight.

Once satisfied with the amount she took, she noticed the awkward expression her son and his friends had put on. "Oh, I'm sorry." She gave them an apologetic smile, removing both devices into her pocket but not before saving the video and pictures she had just acquired from the previous shooting activity.

"Boruto."

"Hai, Kā-chan?" The sudden change of air was tense.

"Tell me everything inside. You two as well," Hinata ordered in a tone where one couldn't find the strength to deviate, ushering the three boys inside the living room.

Once they complied with her request, she activated her Byakugan, thoroughly scanning the outdoor field to look through for any eavesdropper and found one camouflaging in the shadows of a tree. _An ANBU… so Shikamaru-kun sends one as a safety precaution… good enough._

Sighing in relief, she shut the door in front of her.

"We aren't going out shopping, mama?"

When Hinata met Himawari's face of disappointment, she assured her with a smile. "We are, sweetie. Until we know what exactly happened to your papa from your big brother and his friends."

"Okay!"

~La La La~

"Make yourselves at home. What do you two want to drink?" Hinata's offer directed to the guests. "We have assortments of freshly squeezed orange juice and lemonade soda. Or would you prefer water?"

"A glass of orange juice, please," Inojin said.

"Lemonade soda would be fine, Uzumaki-san," Shikadai replied after a few seconds of deciding his choice.

"I'll be back in a moment."

Once Hinata fetched respective beverages for her son's friends, she placed each drink on top of the table and was thanked by Shikadai and Inojin. As soon as Hinata was seated comfortably on the sofa, she asked Boruto to explain how they encountered Naruto in that form.

"Okay, so," Boruto started. "You, Kā-chan, asked me to deliver the bento you packed for Tō-chan, so I went to the Hokage tower with Shikadai, Inojin and Sarada. Um, then, when we were inside the building, we saw Shikamaru Oji-san entered Tō-chan's office, so we followed him and overheard him talking to himself–"

"I warned him to knock the door first before entering," Shikadai cut him off. "He didn't listen."

"Hey! You were _curious_ too, so you can't put all the blame on me 'ttebasa," Boruto countered heatedly with a huff. "Besides, it's your dad who didn't close the door and it was open wide too."

 _Putting faults on my dad now? The nerves of it._ "Whose mouth barged in before their knuckles?"

 _Wait. Did he just insult me?_ "Are you saying I'm an idiot?"

 _If you don't get that, then you probably are_. "If you want it to be, be my guest then." Shikadai smirked.

 _Ouch._ Inojin flinched.

" _Why you–_ "

" _Children._ "

A word and everyone stopped as if it was an absolute command, all attention attended to the only adult in the living room. Since Naruto was technically an adult, but due to his current state, he was regarded as an innocent bystander who was giggling and watching the scene with oblivious, twinkling eyes as if mocking their misfortune.

Hinata resisted cooing, her fingers twitching. She held her stone-faced mask well.

Stock-still on their spot, everyone, except Himawari whose attention was locked on her dad in fascination, was filled with disconcertment that they wouldn't dare to look anywhere except the Byakugan holder's dead white eyes.

Goosebumps etched on Boruto's skin and he knew the reason why. His terrified eyes waveringly met Hinata's emotionless one and conceded, "I-I promise I will knock next time, Kā-chan."

Hinata nodded and regarded him with a motherly smile. "It is proper etiquette for everyone to do so."

Her eyes shifted to Boruto's friends. "As it's impolite to eavesdrop, but on some circumstances, it's unavoidable." The rest of the unsaid words hung in their heads _: I know it's intentional so try not to make it a habit._

"Continue, Boruto. What happened next?" And he continued. He did his best recalling the discussion between the medical-nin and the Hokage's advisor, explaining from the beginning to the end with some verbal help from Shikadai and Inojin. But the bits of information weren't enough for Hinata to connect the dots regarding the matter of her husband's regression.

"I think you should see Shikamaru Oji-san for the rest of the details, Kā-chan," Boruto suggested. "We left in a rush," he added sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

"To be honest, the adults' conversation was _sooooo_ boring that we left – is what Boruto meant as well," Inojin interpreted.

"W-well, that's half-true," Boruto reluctantly admitted. "But the reason I left early is because I thought it is best Kā-chan knows about Tō-chan's condition as quickly as possible."

Hinata gave her son a look of confusion, and the tilt of her head was a sign for him to explain further.

"Tō-chan's a baby, right? Then he needs baby stuffs, especially something for him to eat and drink, and I don't think we have those anymore since Himawari's already big enough," he explained. "Tō-chan, uh, his baby form, needs those."

Hinata's eyes softened. "I understand. Good thing Himawari and I have planned to do some shopping and while we're on that, we can buy some formula milk and cereals for your dad." She admitted that it felt strange hearing herself talking about her husband's desideratum for infant nutrition. Rather, the thought of taking care of her babified husband excite her.

"Kā-chan," Boruto addressed, hooking up a piece of paper from his pocket and extending it to his mom. "Here, I've written the things to buy for Tō-chan on this list 'ttebasa!"

"My, you're well-prepared, Boruto," Hinata commented in a surprised manner, fingers pinching up the list off of her son's hand and took a closer look on the content. On the top of the list was scribbled in Boruto's chicken scratch handwriting, titled as: _Five-month-old essentials for Tō-chan._

' _But this is seriously one complete list of baby items_ ,' she thought in amazement, ' _despite the bad penmanship_.'

"Thank you Boruto, this lessens the hassle for us." Hinata said with a grateful smile, tousling her son's sunny-coloured hair the same way she did to her daughter.

Boruto proudly rubbed his nose at the approval. He had done well!

Inojin and Shikadai gawked. _Since when did he write that?_

Consulting the clock, Hinata decided they should be back early, with food and milk. A baby needed to be fed at least four times a day. "We'll be back before lunch. Take really good care of your dad, Boruto," she said firmly. She fully trusted Naruto in Boruto's care. He had done marvellously with Himawari, exhibiting patience and perseverance in his duty as an older brother, so the same thing she could say he would to Naruto.

"Don't worry, Kā-chan! He's in good hands 'ttebasa!" Boruto bubbled in confidence, pumping both fists.

 _I know._ Hinata nodded, turning over to her daughter whose attention hovering all over the blond baby. "Hima-chan, are you going?"

"Hai," Himawari replied, rising up from her feet. Her attention, however, was divided, eyes glued at her dad's direction. She wanted to shop with mama, but she also wanted to play with her papa!

Hinata sighed. "Let's go, you can play with your papa once we've finished shopping," she convinced.

Himawari's grin brightened. "Hai!"

Once Boruto's mother and sister stepped out the house, the three boys and the baby were the only individuals left in the house.

"I know spending time with your dad has always been in your mind but do you have _any_ idea what you're doing?" Shikadai asked, instantly breaking the silence. "Taking care for a baby can be a real drag."

"Yep, I've helped my parents a lot when Himawari was younger," Boruto replied. "So, let's start with putting him in proper clothes. Tō-chan–" _is gone._

 _Gone!_

" _Where is he!?_ " Boruto burst out in wild panic, hysterics evident in his wide eyes.

"I don't know! He was just here seconds ago!" Shikadai replied, eyes flicking around the room to identify blond hair other than Boruto's.

Boruto furiously scratched the sides of his head in frustration. " _Argh!_ We gotta find him!"

They scattered.

"Um, should I help too?" Inojin asked, pointing a finger at himself.

" _Tō-chan!_ " Boruto shouted in desperate hope that his baby father would reply back or make some sound, paying no awareness to minor things other than setting his mind straight to an important mission: _Find the elusive baby!_

" _Tō-chan!_ "

" _Hokage-sama!_ "

Seeing as he was regarded without a slightest bit of attention, Inojin shrugged. "Oh well, might as well as be helpful." Cupping palms over his mouth, he increased his volume. " _Hokage-sama, where are you?_ "

Searching frantically for the small figure was as hard as it seemed even with the distinguished hair colour and orange jacket combined. Boruto cried internally. _Not to mention that the house's as spacious as it is troublesome._ Ignoring the fact that he inadvertently picked up the Nara's quote, he rushed to the next room: his dad's study room.

"Tō-chan!"

He was greeted with nothing.

"Dang, he's not here!" Just as he was about to lift a foot out of the door, he saw something shuffling over the corner of his eyes. He rotated, with each step quiet and meticulous as he drew closer and closer to the source of his attention. Peering over the edge of the desk, he saw familiar blond hair sticking out beneath the desk's space.

Boruto sighed deeply. "Tō-chan," he muttered, rolling his eyes. "You can't just run away as you please you know…" He stopped midway of his sentence, looking over curiously. "What're you holding?"

Naruto was clutching onto a distinctly familiar plush. His mom said it was his personal chew toy when he was just about as young as the current Naruto before he outgrew his 'affection' over it for something new. In fact, it originally belonged to his dad when he was younger, without the transformation and stuff.

"Blech, that ugly toad must be ancient." Boruto stuck his tongue out at the sight of the slightly discoloured plush. He recalled something his father had said to him that it was a gift from someone precious. "Whoever gifted this to you must have a really bad taste," he commented. "It's dusty. Where could you have gotten it?"

Nearby his dad, Boruto saw a pile of mess scattered around a brown box. Which, he presumed, that ugly toad had belonged in there before his dad rummaged for it.

"Now I've gotta clean this up," Boruto grumbled to himself, picking up random items and threw them back to where they belonged; unconcerned by how the contents were initially arranged. Once done, he hoisted the box into his arms and placed it on top of the desk where his dad couldn't reach it with his grabby hands.

The blond crossed his arms and then nodded satisfyingly. He turned to Naruto. Well, not completely done yet. The toad was still in his dad's clutch. But the smaller blond seemed to put his fondness on that ugly plush, so he would leave it like that. Carefully picking up Naruto by his arms, he then frowned, distinctly recalling a collection of plush toads, which were presently stored in the basement. Better one toad than all those toads summed in numbers.

"First thing Kā-chan comes back, we'll have that ugly thing washed," the whiskered boy remarked critically. As he said this, he left the office with the baby who was communicating with his inanimate toy in his gibberish baby language. "Until then, we'll have to cloth you first," he added.

Moving nearby the living room, he heard shouts from both Nara and Yamanaka, loudly indicating they were still on the search. Boruto called over their names and told them to stop searching. He heard footsteps approaching near and not long after, Shikadai came into the view with Inojin next to him.

"Oh good, you've found him," Shikadai exhaled as if relieved and exhausted at the same time.

"Where was he?" Inojin asked, before tilting his head at the addition the baby Hokage was cuddling onto. _That's one ugly toad,_ this thought crossed through his mind as soon as he saw it.

"In his office," Boruto answered airily. "The door wasn't completely shut, so that explains how he got inside. I'm going to the storage room; see if I can find something for Tō-chan to wear–"

 _That's not right._

The storage room was spacious, no– it _was_ spacious before it was crammed with items of the past. Although, that amount of space capacity could easily grant a baby freedom. And that freedom plus a curious, eye-roaming infant led to unpleasant correlation: another panic-stricken heart-attack and the risk of losing the baby again. Since bringing his dad to the storage room wasn't a selectable option, he had to depend on either Shikadai or Inojin to keep an eye on the baby Hokage for a while, although Boruto was slightly reluctant to leave his dad alone with them. Not because of the lack of trust but because they had zero experience. Nevertheless, they were the only people present and available at this moment of time.

` _It'll only take a moment,_ ' Boruto thought, reassuring himself.

"Ne Boruto, you there?" asked Shikadai when he noticed the said blond being unusually quiet.

"Here, hold him." The whiskered boy handed the blue-eyed baby to Shikadai after a flick of seconds.

"Sure, wait – _me?_ " Shikadai said incredulously, eyes widened as he withdrew his hands into his pockets. "Are you out of your wits? I've _never_ held a baby before."

Boruto turned to the other light-coloured blond and offered.

"Absolutely not," Inojin said this with his hands raised in open palm and shook his head rapidly when the offer was handed down to him. "I-I have never held one too," he admitted meekly.

Boruto scoffed. "Come on, you all gotta learn how to hold one someday. What if your parents decide to have a baby sister or a brother?" he joked and received snorts of incredulity from both Nara and Yamanaka. " _Orrrrr_ after we've officially become a genin, there will be a time where our mission is to babysit. What would you do?"

They stopped.

"That would be a drag."

"I would've no clue how to handle one."

"Hm, hm." Boruto nodded wisely. "Exactly one of the reasons why you should be prepared for the unexpected – Inojin, Shikadai, this is a rare chance for you both to learn what you haven't before that time comes."

They considered the odds.

"Fine," Shikadai quickly accepted after a thoughtful consideration. "Hand Hokage-sama to me."

"I'll guide you." The blond-haired boy elaborated, "Now – there are a lot of ways to carry a baby, but that depends on the baby's decision. Let's try chair position, see if Tō-chan likes it. Shikadai, I need you to let him sit on your hands as if he's sitting on a chair."

"How do I do that?"

"Imagine you're the chair, lift your arms," Boruto instructed as he passed his dad to Shikadai's awaiting, tentative arms. He continued, "Let him lean back on your chest. Careful with him."

"I am," Shikadai replied shakily. Without Boruto telling him to be careful, he was already doing it with extreme care. This ball of warmth in his arms was not just a normal baby, this was the Seventh Hokage.

"Then use your other hand to balance Tō-chan to prevent him from falling on the sides. And try not to falter your arms; it makes you look dangerously clumsy. Keep your handle sturdy."

The blue-eyed level-headed explanation impressed Shikadai; it was surprisingly on a commendable coherency, making it convenient for anyone to follow. Thanks to that, with each instruction successfully performed, the green-eyed boy was getting a good grasp of this baby business. He was ready for the next step. "Okay I'm good, what's next?"

Boruto grinned. "That's all actually. Keep in mind this position is actually suitable for babies who are able to support their heads." He added, "Himawari can hold hers when she was five months old and Tō-chan's five months old right now, so I'm sure it's not a problem."

"Noted." Shikadai nodded while Inojin rubbed his fingers on his chin.

"On some side note, it's very, _very_ important to let him rest against your chest at all times. The point in this position is to prevent him from putting pressure on his spines. Not all that hard, right?"

"Yeah," admitted Shikadai with a nod. "But why can't you just bring him with you?"

"Can't risk him escaping while I look for his clothes, right?" Boruto replied. "Feel free to use my room. I'm counting on you both to watch over Tō-chan for the moment, so don't lose him!"

"We won't."

"And he's gone," Inojin observed. "Let's go."

 _Why did I drag myself into this mess?_ Shikadai sighed, peering down at his arms when he felt wiggling. _At least Hokage-sama is comfortable… and adorable too._

Maybe it wouldn't be as bad as he would have thought.

~La La La~

Shortly after Boruto's arrival in front of the storage room, he allowed himself in and flicked on the light. Once the room brightened, he started his search from rooting about one box to another box.

"Scrolls, books, hm? Icha Icha Paradise…?" Boruto raised his brow. Curious, he picked up the book and turned to a random page, skimming some few lines before he concluded his opinion of the book with a single, denigrating comment that would make a certain, deceased author's perverted pride wounded: "Garbage." Like the garbage itself, he threw the not-so-innocent novel over his shoulder, not even bothering to put it back where it belonged. "Who would read that low-level garbage fiction anyways? Maa, like I care. Now… where are the clothes section– ah, should be this one, hmm… still no luck," he grunted, blue eyes rolling in annoyance as he stood up from his hunkered position.

Boruto had been here once or twice when assisting his parents to move some unused stuff in this storeroom, but he had merely helped them by carrying it, not packing it so he hadn't had the slightest hint where to look for. Nonetheless, he knew his parents were unbearably sentimental that they wouldn't discard anything that has connection to the momentous remembrance, like some of the old stuffs he had long outgrown their purposes. If so, then most of the said items could be found here, like the baby clothes he was searching for.

He scanned the whole room, and then sighed. This was going to be extensively tiring for him to look alone. The six-year-old slammed his fist downward onto his palm; an idea suddenly hit his mind like a storm. Maybe he didn't need to do this alone when he had more than two arms to assist him!

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Dispersing of the chakra-induced white clouds revealed Boruto who had manifested three clones of himself, each grinning widely to one another with identical enthusiasm.

"Alright! 'kay, you!" The original pointed at one of his clones. "Search over that side, and you the opposite side of him, and you look over the opposite side of mine. Got it?"

" _Yeah!_ " Boruto's clones agreed simultaneously.

"Let's get crackin' dattebasa!"

With each clone assigned to their appointed direction, the original had continued his part. With sufficient amount of help, it didn't take long until one of them had acquired what they were looking for.

"Oi! Over here, I've found it!" A clone called out, pointing out a box looking alike as all the other boxes.

Boruto's lips stretched into a victorious grin as his clones disappeared altogether with a loud poof. Looking into the square-shaped container to double check, he gave himself a nod of satisfaction. He hauled up the box of clothes into his arms. "Omph, it's heavy." Seemingly he couldn't carry the weight all way up to his room and his dad wouldn't need everything all at once, he set it down and considered, "Right, let's just bring some upstairs."

Attentively, he assessed each garment with a judging glare like a strict, however doting mother taking her time to choose the most beautiful dresses for her beloved daughter. After a thoughtful moment of consideration, choosing which clothing would suit best on his regressed dad based by its colour and design, finally he picked up different sets of baby wear: two onesies and two babygros. "Oh, these are definitely cute, I bet Kā-chan would've agreed too," Boruto gushed, his blue eyes sparkled. "Maybe I'll take some gloves, in case if Tō-chan doesn't like the cold." Hand snatched a pair of warm-looking orange mittens.

Now that the blond was done selecting clothes, he flicked the light off and shut the door tight as he headed up toward his room. Getting closer and familiar to his destination, the blond's audioception had detected exchanged words of conversation, barely inaudible but he could perceive joyful excitement through the voices in his room.

With confusion and curiosity edging around his brain, he stopped in front of the wooden door. The doorway of his room was ajar, the light from inward visibly leaking outside. For better observation, the owner of the blue eyes encroached through the slats of the door as his lips quirked up in silent amusement.

"Hokage-sama, look over here, peek-a-boo!"

Giggles ensued.

"Shikadai, what you're doing is an old-school technique… that's not fun at all."

"Does it matter?" Shikadai's eyes rolled at the remark. "Hokage-sama's having fun." He covered his face with his palms and exclaimed: "Peak-a-boo!" and revealed his face with silly expression on it.

Naruto giggled happily. "See? Fun," Shikadai drawled lazily.

Inojin sighed exasperatedly. "You called that half-baked attempt of a diversion fun? I'll show you fun." A rather irritating smile crept up on his face.

Both Nara and Yamanaka glared at each other as eyes sparked in mirrored rivalry, Boruto could feel competition running in the air.

Should he stop them? Nah, this was getting fun.

 _As long as no harm lies on Tō-chan, things are fine._

"Well, bring it on."

Inojin smirked, turning to the Hokage. "Not quite good as my dad yet, but..." he mumbled, earlier cockiness replaced with slight uncertainty. Bringing out his equipment, he started to paint something out. Certain he was ready, he announced, "Ninpō: Chōjū Giga! Here are some colourful birds for you, Hokage-sama."

Round, innocent eyes widened in candid awe, witnessing many-hued avifauna soaring over and around his person. Cooing, the excitable little one was now clapping his chubby hands in an uncontainable transport of delight as if applauding to a well-deserved magic show.

Baby or not, the approval was from the Hokage. Inojin proudly smiled at his handiwork whilst Shikadai scowled, then smirked.

"But that won't stop me."

Inojin sighed. "Hokage-sama's going to get bored soon if you don't change your idea of _'fun'_."

Shikadai's smirk was still on place. "I can think of an alternative later. If that ever happen, that is."

 _Lazy._

Shikadai continued making funny faces to entertain the baby, gaining a rather blithe reaction from the smaller latter. Inojin, determined he could easily win over the adorable baby's heart, had presented different coloured animals with his ninja art technique. The infant was clearly enjoying being the centre of attention.

It was all that unexpectedly hilarious to the whiskered blond. Truth be told, it was nothing he had ever seen from his fellow playmates. If he didn't do anything to preserve this unalterable scene, it would have surely gone to waste.

With his trusty dark pink-coloured device, silently, he had already taken some pictures before the temporarily competitive banter between the younger Nara and Yamanaka had occurred.

 _Oh, this is so priceless. Absolutely priceless._

Apparently, Hinata's obsession toward photography, as well as video recording, was a heredity passed down to her son. Observing the jolly sight once again, he snapped another picture. This time, a picture of an innocent, beatific Naruto playing with those colourful animals Inojin had produced.

A warm smile edged over Boruto's lips. His dad was so small and squishy yet completely vibrant – he was literally a crawling bundle of warmth and adorableness. Different, very different from his own dad, well, this baby was his _dad_. What he meant was that this current Naruto, in both mental and physical attributes, was different than his dad who wouldn't give a time off from his work for his family. _For him._

The gloomy thought penetrated his mind before he shook his head to break his dour muse. _No, leave the past alone for now._ Right now, he ought to enjoy this opportunity while he could, even if the whole situation was going on as unusual.

Suddenly, an ear-splitting wail attacked Boruto's ears, distress clearly in its cry. As if it was a call for the blond to enact duty, he marched into his room with a newfangled motivation to handle a situation where both Nara and Shikadai were obviously clueless and inexperienced.

 _To be continued…_

~La La La~

 **Omake:**

Up above the heaven, a conversation issued between a deceased Fourth Hokage and a certain Ero-Sennin.

Minato was smiling goofily, gazing down at baby Naruto with pink hearts in his eyes as Jiraiya sighed. "Minato, you look absolutely creepy grinning like that."

Still grinning, Minato cooed, "I can't help it! My cute son is just too… adorable! I wish I had a camera with me right now. Ahh, Kushina would love to have a picture of our baby, I know it."

Jiraiya half-heartedly rolled his eyes at his student's tone of endearment. "Aren't you a pile of mush now…" he muttered with a faint smile.

"I'm sure," Minato admitted without fire, although love and guilt heavy in his tone. "Even though it's inevitable, my death I mean, I'm his father. It's just… a real damn shame to have never given Naruto the experience of having a father and I, never having the experience to care for him, never having to watch him grow up to this point, never having to compliment of his achievements… Now that I'm seeing my son in this form… not being there, his past, it gives me so much… _regret._ " His chuckle was pained. "I'm such a horrible dad."

"Minato," said Jiraiya, his voice stern as he pressed a palm on his student's shoulder, causing the blond to turn to him. "You're right when you said your death was inevitable. You had to do what you had to do. It was your duty. But those losses, your ultimate sacrificial, have given Naruto so much. It was through your decision that your son's able to veer his life-long dream as a Hokage to reality through sheer determination, as he becomes the person who everyone loves and respects. To add with, he has a beautiful wife who cherishes him for life. Along the way, two children are blessed into their life. Those past, the irreversible, whatever regret you upheld inside couldn't take all those away from him. My point being is: you did your job as any good parent would do. Am I wrong, Minato?"

Slowly turning back to Naruto, Minato flashed his proud parent smile. "Perhaps not, of course, I think you're right, sensei."

" _Hah! There's no 'I think' in my context, of course I am right! No doubt about that!_ " Jiraiya guffawed uproariously, striking a pose.

Minato shook his head at the juvenile behaviour his teacher exhibited. Going back to observe the surface world, the grandfather of Boruto noticed something familiar was held in his grandson's hands. _Wait… is that…?_

"But he's just six!" Minato exclaimed in a raised tone, horror painted across his face.

Jiraiya stopped laughing and joined Minato, seemingly to perceive the obvious distress and seriousness his student had displayed. "What's wrong?"

Body shaking, Minato turned to him, face red in suppressed anger. "Yes, you're what's wrong! It's your fault!" he accused, stretching a finger out to indicate the source of his outburst.

"My fault?" Jiraiya's confused eyes travelled to where Minato was pointing at. He roared in laughter. " _Ahahahahaha! That's my boy!_ Already showing some interest in the opposite sex at that young age? _How impressive!_ "

" _Sensei! Now's not the right time to be impressed!_ " the angry father berated. "That horrendously venereal book of yours is going to corrupt my grandson's innocent mind!"

"–ey, it's not horrendous! That is a work of art created by the awesome Jiraiya-sama, _in other words: me!_ "

" _God_ , why's that book in that place of all time!?"

"Maybe it's destiny!"

"Sensei."

Jiraiya gulped when the Yellow Flash's eyes darkened.

"One more word, I will personally dish you out to Kushina and you will _love_ it to the bone."

Jiraiya was sweating profusely. "Please don't."

Once settled, they went back to observe.

"Ohohoho, he's opening it, he's opening it!" Jiraiya excitedly chanted like a huge-sized kid opening up his Christmas present.

Minato shot him a look which quietened his excitement by half. Watching his grandson be corrupted by his teacher's lewd book was not so awesome. _Oh no…_

' _Oh yes,'_ Jiraiya thought silently. ' _Do it. Do it._ '

" _Garbage._ "

The single comment threw both spectators off-guard, the author of the novel especially.

" _Who would read that low-level garbage fiction anyways?_ "

Jiraiya withered inside and outside, literally.

"Um, sensei? Sensei?" The said person didn't respond, however, Minato could hear him muttering 'garbage' over and over again. Okay, the student felt bad for his teacher, but it was just a micro-sized sympathy because that book which corrupted children's minds was evil.

The blond sighed. "Let's go back, sensei."

"Garbage… garbage…? Garbage…"

 **End of Omake.**


	4. Chapter 04: Disasters – pacified

**Chapter 4:** Disasters originated from cuteness overload

 **Summary:** Shikadai and Inojin panicked. Boruto saved the day. Hinata and Himawari went shopping.

Things were running along really well until there was a sudden change of mood. The bright ball of sunshine emitting squeaky volume of overflowing gaiety had its voice toned down as silence lingered in the air. It was the first thing Inojin and Shikadai had noticed that Lord Hokage had quietened in both vocal and body language; though his tiny fists tightly clenched.

But of what reason had aroused this strange behaviour from a happy baby? It was so sudden, so strangely sudden that it brought them into confusion. They blinked and turned toward each other, waiting for either of them to explain this sort of odd conduct. Though, an answer couldn't be provided through silent confusion of inexperienced minds.

Then, a tiny frown formed upon the whiskered baby's feature was the second thing they became aware of under their careful watch. They deciphered those signs as an expression of displeasure. A question whirled into thought.

Had they done something wrong…?

The next thing they knew, an upsetting whine had emerged from the baby's toothless mouth which had startled both of them.

The whine, like a magnetic force of foreboding doom, had begged Shikadai to bring the baby into his arms. "Hush, hush, Hokage-sama, whatever we do to have upset you, please, I beg you, don't cry," he whispered desperately, in his absolute attempt to comfort Naruto like Boruto did back in the office. But the copied action didn't seem to be working as effectively as before. In fact, it did nothing but triggered Naruto's perturbation, the whining was one note louder than earlier. So maybe it didn't work well when it was done by a different person? Oh, how should he know! He was not the expert here.

He spun back to face an equally clueless-looking Inojin. "Hokage-sama is upset without a reason but there has to be one," he said without a beat. "And I can't keep him calm. Ne, Inojin, any idea why's he like this?"

"How do you expect me to respond to that pointless question?" Inojin grimaced. "We're basically standing on the same boat, no baby knowledge, zero parental skill or anything similar of sort." Though, he wished they could do something about it, for Lord Seventh.

"Well," he drawled. He would've scratched the back of his head if he could, but he compromised on rolling his eyes. "Why don't you try what I did just now?"

" _Ehh!?_ "

"Just try it. Maybe if it's done by a different person, it'll work?"

"Or maybe it won't work at all," Inojin replied bluntly. Nevertheless, he made an effort to soothe the babe and ended up having similar result as Shikadai.

"There. It didn't work."

Shikadai frowned. "As expected."

"What do you mean as expected!?" Inojin snapped uncharacteristically; more to a whine of annoyance rather than anger. "T-this is not expected at all! I've heard that once a baby starts crying, they won't stop until they get what they want! It's going to be endless! Why's Nanadaime upset out of all time? What did he want? What should we do!?"

"Don't drill your questions on me! I'm new to this baby thing!"

"Well, yeah? Guess what? So am I!"

As their voice of argument grew louder so as the ear-shattering shrill cry of the little one, causing the banter between the two boys to come to a halt as they stared at the Seventh, stunned and not knowing what to do now that the theory has come to test them in practical.

"Oh heck–"

"Oh no, oh no, we made Hokage-sama cry! What'd we do!?" Inojin, whose light blue eyes shrouded in alarm, was gearing his body and mind to search for something to ease Naruto's distress. But none came to light.

The door flew wide open with a loud slam. That was the moment where Boruto had announced his presence. To both children's eyes, he was their saviour, technically, even if he was the person who persuaded them to keep an eye on the Seventh Hokage at the first place. But they needed not to care all those minor details since they considered this, upsetting the Hokage, the first big failure on their unofficial mission.

"What's wrong 'ttebasa!?"

"B-Boruto!" Inojin cried out of relief with a hint of distress in his voice. He was on the verge of tears. The poor boy.

"You're late, Boruto," Shikadai scolded, his face unimpressed. Nonetheless, he was thankful that Boruto was here. On their current situation, they needed someone with adequate experiences than both of them combined to handle this… level of difficulty. And Boruto, who fitted the category, was the only one they had to rely at the moment.

"No, I'm not. But why's Tō-chan bawling his eyes out?" Both boys saw Boruto's eyes sharpened – an expression of accusation shooting towards them. "What did you do to him?"

"You'd be insane to think–"

"No, we didn't do anything to him!" Inojin cut off in defence, one step slower than Shikadai but effective enough to cast away Boruto's dormant anger from stirring closer to his emotional level.

"Well?"

Not one to waste even a precious second, he explained the situation of the matter. "We don't know what's wrong with him, honestly. We were entertaining Nanadaime while you looked for his clothes, and not long before you're back, he's suddenly upset! And he's gotten more upset when both of us argued."

"Sure, he's upset because of our quarrel but we're not the cause of it. Maybe you can figure out what Hokage-sama's under whatever weather we can't seem to figure out," Shikadai added, looking helplessly troubled despite his poise posture.

Boruto sighed exasperatedly. "Boy, you guys sure are hopeless."

"Yeah, yeah, we're completely hopeless. So, help us, go do what you gotta do." Shikadai waved dismissively, bringing himself to sit on the side of the bed. "We'll take notes, you too Inojin. You look like you're gonna bawl as bad as Nanadaime if it's not for Boruto's arrival."

The said person stuttered and blushed in embarrassment. "Shut up, Shikadai! You've got to check your eyes, I don't–"

Before their rekindled argument could drag on further, Boruto cut them off with a low tone over Naruto's wailing. "Hush! Keep your voices down! If you both keep this up, not even I can help."

In an immediate attempt, they shut their lips reluctantly, glaring at each other but having no inclination to repeat the whole process.

"Here, hold these for me." The blond held the folded garments to Shikadai in which the latter accepted them. "Hand him over to me, Inojin."

Inojin stepped forward to Boruto, transporting Lord Hokage from his arms to another pair of arms.

Boruto received the little bundle of joy, shame to say that said joy was crying in distress. With his blue eyes closed, the six-year-old rocked him slowly, softly, his other hand patting the baby's back in a rhythmical comfort. "Shh, shh, it's okay, everything's going to be alright, Tō-chan, Inojin and Shikadai are just being a loud bunch of rude guests, it's normal, but it won't happen again," he promised in a soft, soothing voice, suppressing his apparent quizzicality behind closed lips.

Inojin and Shikadai were about to throw a comeback, but they held back – surprisingly patient enough not to be goaded by Boruto's playful provocation. The whiskered blond respected them for that, however a small amount of it.

On another side note, Naruto had somewhat mollified. His heartbeat returned to its normal pace which made Boruto smiled. Seeing as his dad had calmed down, he gave himself a pat on the back for doing a good job. However, there was one eensy problem and it hadn't been solved yet. Even if Naruto had settled down to a certain extent, he wasn't completely soothed. He was whimpering, which meant to say that he was still upset. But of what exactly?

 _Maybe..._

With his head tilted curiously, Boruto faced his regressed dad, extending his fingers over the gummy mouth. Said mouth latched on one of Boruto's fingers as its own small fingers held onto the other's larger finger.

"Oh."

"What? What is it?"

"I should have known," he whispered to himself then turning to his playmates and explained, "Tō-chan's just hungry. Since he hasn't eaten yet this morning so I guess this is the reason why he's crying."

As if on cue, a growl projected out from Naruto's stomach.

Shikadai's face hardened in concern. "It's been fifteen minutes since your sister and mom's departure to the mall. How long do you think they'll come back before Hokage-sama starts crying again?"

"Market's not that far from here, so... soon probably, roughly about ten minutes? Ah, today is limited time sales 'ttebasa!"

"What's wrong with that?" asked Inojin, raising a brow with crossed arms. Even Shikadai looked confused.

Boruto chuckled wryly at their confusion. "Things get discounted. What person wouldn't want that? I can imagine it's going to get really packed there." He had learnt that when goods were put on sales, mostly ladies, including his mom, went all ballistic and fought for the discounted products. They were moving section to section like real ninjas, examining the good and bad of each product with quick and meticulous eyes only veteran shopper could own, and they could probably stay in one mart for hours before vigorously moving on to the next one. It was terribly exhausting. But he wasn't going to tell them any of that, in case if Inojin and Shikadai were curious enough to want to go. He wanted them to taste what he had gone through. "It usually takes Kā-chan an hour to shop for groceries when things are on sale, but let's hope she come home soon."

 _Forty-five minutes._

They had to hang fire for at least forty-five minutes more for Mrs. Uzumaki and the youngest Uzumaki to arrive home, preferably with adequate amount of groceries. During the duration of waiting, unfortunately, the kids had to endure more of Naruto's incessant wailing interpreted as a demand for food.

Inojin and Shikadai could leave the house whenever they want, but they didn't want to leave things half-done since they felt responsible for Naruto the moment they agreed to be taught of the baby basics by Boruto. Besides, rather than staying at home gaming or doing absolutely nothing or helping their parents with boring and dull chores, doing this kind of out-of-routine activity was kind of a fun change. As for Boruto, he silently prayed for his mother's arrival, the sooner the better.

~La La La~

Today's weather was moderately good and the two Uzumaki members were in luck since the shopping mall wasn't really loaded with people. The place where Hinata customarily did her weekly shopping had fewer customers than the previous sales day, so she had an easy time searching for the items written on the shopping list.

' _Still..._ ' Hinata glanced down to look at the paper on her left hand. ' _This list is really helpful… But since when did Boruto have time to write this?_ '

"Mama, look! Ramen-flavoured oatmeal! Papa likes it, right?" Without a doubt, Naruto would love it. She was confidently sure of it, so sure that Hinata could envision it; the adorable reaction her baby husband would make – that pair of blue eyes dazzling in delight. She sighed dreamily, pressing a palm on her cheek. She couldn't wait to get home.

"Mama?"

"Oh, sorry, Hima-chan, I was a bit distracted. And yes, of course, your father would find the taste of ramen more than enjoyable! Let's take two boxes of the ramen flavour, shall we?"

"Okay!" Himawari happily reached for the oatmeal boxes from the third shelf and tossed them into the half-filled shopping trolley. "Mama, are we almost done yet? I'm starting to get hungry." Her fingers were rubbing on her growling tummy.

"Perhaps a little bit more items then we're off to the cashier and get you some food," Hinata replied to her daughter.

The younger Uzumaki broke in with an enthusiastic reply, "Then, I want mama's delicious cooking!"

"Alright, alright," the older Byakugan user chuckled at the latter's cheer. They were done with the list for this week's groceries. And they picked out more than half of the things her baby husband needed from the shopping list Boruto gave her. "Let's see... we should find some fruit and veggie–"

"Bananas! Apples! And… avocados," came Himawari's excited reply. "Some sweet potatoes or butternut squash too!"

"Ah, yes, Hima-chan, those," said Hinata, her arm being tugged gently by her daughter, ushering her to hasten up.

~La La La~

After Hinata had every item ticked off the shopping list, she queued up along with Himawari besides her; it wasn't too long of a line, she admitted. Not long, it was their turn. After the barcode of each item was scanned, the total price of purchase popped up. She paid an exact amount as the cashier put the goods into the plastic bags. Hinata and her daughter were more than ready to pack everything up and go home. Himawari helped her carry some but not-too-heavy groceries, nothing her age couldn't handle, while Hinata carried the rest of the filled plastic bags. But soon enough, though very unexpectedly, Hinata was held up in a 'the weather is good' conversation with a familiar kunoichi.

"Hinata!"

"Ino-san?"

"Ohayo!"

"Ohayo, Ino-san," Hinata greeted, curling up her habitually polite smile.

Ino noticed Hinata's companion and bent down a little to greet Himawari in an adoring tone. "And ohayo to you too, Himawari-chan!"

"Ohaya, Ino-obasan!" The little sunflower giggled; her grin was as bright as the meaning of her name.

"My, such a cute little angel you are as always. So, Hinata, I see you carry a lot of bags. With those amount of groceries, I'm guessing you've plan to whip up some kind of celebration feast tonight?"

"A-ah, nothing of the sort, Ino-san, I merely want to try cooking something new for the kids," replied Hinata, rather not smoothly. It was, obviously, a lie, but not obvious to Ino. Deliberately or not, revealing her husband current situation could pose a time-consuming conversation; Yamanaka Ino just had a thing for tittle-tattle after all. Although Hinata wanted to stay and have a friendly chat, right now didn't fit her current schedule criterion. "And the rest of the groceries are to be stocked up for the week."

"Hm," Ino hummed in a slightly curious accented pitch.

 _This isn't good... My husband has to be hungry at this time around. I need to think of something. If I waste anymore time…_

In a short moment, Hinata thought of a small plan. The Byakugan wielder gave Himawari a discreet side glance, trying to gather her daughter's attention. The younger Uzumaki astutely caught this and initiated.

"Mama, I'm hungry! You promise me you'll cook after shopping," Himawari started with a constructed whine; her face adorned a deceptively cute pout.

"Of course, Hima-chan," responded Hinata. She shot Ino an apologetic expression.

Ino smiled genuinely. "Go ahead, don't make me be the reason to keep you waiting further," she added, "Oh and don't forget about our ladies meeting at Saturday."

"I won't, Ino-san. We'll take our leave then. Sayonara." Hinata gave her a brief bow.

"Sayonara, Ino-obasan!" Himawari said, waving goodbye.

The shape of Ino's figure grew smaller and shadowy as they walked further away until she was nowhere to be seen.

"Ehehe~ Mama?"

"Nani?"

"Now that we got stuffs for Papa, can I help you with cooking at home?"

"You don't even have to ask, Hima-chan. With your help, we'll finish faster."

"Un!" Himawari nodded eagerly. She ran ahead from Hinata and turned back with a grin. "Come on, come on!"

"Hai, hai."

 _Boruto, Naruto-kun; please wait for us._

 _To be continued…_


End file.
